Generator powering a woman stolen during a storm

ENUMCLAW, Washington (KING) – As many people faced power outages across Washington state this week due to severe weather, one family was left with a nightmare.

In hard-hit eastern King County, Puget Sound Energy crews made the rounds. They say extensive damage has slowed the restoration of power.

“For safety reasons, we had to pull our people out of the field,” said one of the power team workers.

In Enumclaw, people – including the Clark family – waited for days for the lights to come back on.

“Yeah… Yeah, it was hard,” Shawn Clark said. “Didn’t we have enough people working on it?”

Shawn Clark is one of many frustrated Puget Sound Energy customers. But aside from his own annoyances, he had even bigger worries to focus on.

Shawn Clark’s mother, Nila Clark, 89, suffers from heart, lung and kidney failure, which requires oxygen and energy to power the tank.

But when the power went out and the family faced an emergency, a longtime friend lent the Clark family a generator.

“So I was able to do that and get her hooked up just in time,” Shawn Clark said.

He didn’t think that the police would soon investigate the unimaginable crime.

“Someone while running cut the rope and chain I had there and took off with his generator… I was stunned,” Shawn Clark said.

And Nila Clark went to the hospital.

“Can you imagine gasping for oxygen when it’s cold and dark and someone cuts off your life support,” said Shawn Clark.

She was in hospital until Friday because she still had no electricity.

“She could have easily died…Property crimes can be more than that,” Shawn Clark said.

Nila Clark’s lights come back on and she’s home, but she’s still struggling. The Clark family is just one example of the far-reaching effects of the storm and power outages.

“We are very, very committed. We work very, very hard,” said one of the energy team’s employees. “Your Grace, lots of wonderful people who show their gratitude… It means a lot to us, we do what we can.”

According to KING 5, the theft remains unsolved. The friend who lent the generator to the Clarks described it as a “Honda 2200 power generator.”

However, after the KING 5 story appeared, Shawn Clark said that someone gave Nila Clark a small generator in case the power went out again.